Wondering what to do with all those banana peels, coffee grounds, and onion skins from your cooking adventures? Compost of course! Here’s how to compost.
Wondering what to do with all those banana peels, onion peels, coffee grounds, and basil from all your cooking adventures? Compost of course! If you have green space (or even potted plants!), this is it worth your time. Compost is one of the best ways to keep your soil healthy and full of nutrients. Also, if you add most of your leftover food to the compost (and assume you recycle it), you’ll have very little waste!
Related: How to grow herbs
Why compost?
If you have even the slightest interest in how to compost, you should definitely start a bunch. I really like ours (weird I know). When I finally composted for the first time last year, I thought someone dumped dirt in my trash can. It took me several seconds to realize that the “soil” was the compost I was waiting for!
For our square foot garden, we add a few balls of finished compost after we harvest each square. With this method we are able to keep our raised bed filled with nutrients and ready for the next planting. The best part is that it’s completely organic and chemical free! Ready to start?
How to compost
1. Find a composter (and a bucket).
You can use almost anything to hold your compost – from a simple heap to a box made from scrap metal pallets. For city dwellers like us, use a pre-made trash can with a lockable lid. This is the bin we use: Classic Compost Bin $79
If you’re wondering about these cool tumbler-style composters, they’re not really necessary for beginners. They do a great job of speeding up the process – but are probably best suited to an expanded (rather than new) operation.
You can also use almost any type of covered container to collect leftovers in your kitchen. We use a purpose-built stainless steel compost bin for this task: it also has a filter to minimize odors. And it looks great on the counter! Stainless steel compost bin with filter $22
2. Add to the stack: 50/50 Green and Brown.
You can Add plant matter to the pile – the more varied, the better! You want to keep the mix about 50/50 “green” and “brown”. “Green vegetables” are things that compost quickly, like kitchen scraps and coffee grounds. “Brown” are heavier and decompose more slowly — such as dead leaves, scraps of paper or sawdust. Don’t worry too much about the mix – it all turns into compost eventually!
3. Don’t add these items!
DO NOT add meat, dairy, fat or dog poo. These create odors, attract pests, and add nothing good to your stack! We also avoid putting anything cooked on top of the pile.
4. Mix weekly.
Bring a shovel to the pile and move it about once a week — it speeds up the composting process from several months to several weeks. It also lets in much-needed oxygen and relieves smelly bacteria. While you’re at it, make sure to smash any larger items in the stack. The smaller the kitchen and garden waste, the faster it decomposes.
5. Enjoy your compost!
Suddenly all the bells and whistles turn into dirt! The duration varies depending on the season, pile size and mixing frequency. Remove some of the compost and add it to your flower beds the best organic fertilizer your plants have ever seen!
And this is how it is composted!
And you? Did you try? Do you have any advice? Let us know in the comments below.
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